Biden ignores reporter question about classified documents for second day in a row

‘Mr President, did you mishandle classified documents?’ reporter yells at commander-in-chief

President Joe Biden ignored questions for the second day in a row about the classified documents from his time as vice president found at the offices of the DC think tank bearing his name.

The files found at the Penn Biden Center for Diplomacy and Global Engagement in the US Capital included information regarding Ukraine, Iran, and the UK, CNN reported.

The boxes where the files were located also held personal family information, such as details about the funeral of Beau Biden, the president’s late son who died from brain cancer at the age of 46 in 2015.

Mr Biden was attending the Three Amigos summit in Mexico City along with the leaders of Canada and Mexico on Tuesday when he was asked about the documents during a sitdown in front of the press with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

“Mr President, did you mishandle classified documents?” a reporter yelled at Mr Biden, who smiled and stayed quiet.

During a meeting with Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador on Monday, Mr Biden also avoided answering questions regarding the documents.

“Mr President, any response to the discovery of classified documents?” a reporter shouted at the commander-in-chief, who didn’t respond.

President Joe Biden meets with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau at the InterContinental Presidente Mexico City hotel in Mexico City, Tuesday, Jan. 10, 2023 (AP)

The 10 classified documents were found in a private office last autumn and include intelligence memos and other information, with the documents being dated between 2013 and 2016.

The files were discovered among three or four boxes holding unclassified documents governed by the Presidential Records Act, a source told CNN. The overwhelming majority of the files were private Biden family records, such as condolence letters following Beau Biden’s passing.

Attorney General Merrick Garland has put the Chicago US attorney, a holdover from former President Donald Trump’s time in office, in charge of the matter after a referral from the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA).

The files were discovered by a personal Biden lawyer on 2 November, less than a week before the 2022 midterms. The lawyer was closing the Washington, DC office that Mr Biden used while working for the University of Pennsylvania. The discovery was first reported on Monday.

The attorney spotted a manila folder with “personal” written on it. When opening it, the lawyer noticed classified documents in the folder. The attorney closed the folder and contacted NARA.

After having contacted the agency, Mr Biden’s legal team handed over multiple boxes of documents despite many of them only holding personal files in what CNN called “an abundance of caution”.